Many herbicides require the addition of an adjuvant to the spray mixture to provide wetting and spending on foliar surfaces. Often that adjuvant is a surfactant, which can perform a variety of functions, such as increasing spray droplet retention on difficult to wet leaf surfaces, or to provide penetration of the herbicide into the plant cuticle. These adjuvants are provided either as a tankside additive or used as a component in herbicide formulations.
Sandbrink, et al., Pest. Sci. 1993, 38, 272-273, published that a TSE antagonized glyphosate performance relative to glyphosate alone in the control of Panicum maximum Jacq. Snow, et al., Langmuir, 1993, 9, 424-30, discusses the physical properties and synthesis of novel cationic siloxane surfactants. These siloxanes are based on the reaction of a chloropropyl modified trisiloxane with an alkanolamine, such as N-methyl-ethanolamine, which was further reacted with a halide to make a quaternary surfacatant.
Petroff, et al., EP 92116658, describes cationic, quaternary trisiloxanes to enhance the efficacy of glyphosate on velvetleaf, a broadleaf weed.
Henning, et al., DE 4318537, describes cationic siloxanyl modified polyhydroxy hydrocarbon or carbohydrate for use with plant protection agents. These compounds are derived from a saccharide containing 1 to 10 pentose and/or hexose units, modified with a quaternary ammonium group, and a siloxane moiety.
Reid, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,389,160, describes amino modified siloxane alkoxylates where the amino functionality appears as the terminal group on the alkyleneoxide moiety, opposite the siloxane group.
Policello, U.S. Pat. No. 5,998,331, discloses amino modified siloxanes wherein the amine is bound by an ether bound to the siloxane backbone wherein the amine may be terminal or pendant to the backbone and may be substituted with one or two hydroxyalkyl groups.
Dietz et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 5,891,977 describes organopolysiloxanes comprising polyhydroxyorganyl radicals and polyalkylene radicals, their process and use.
Specifically these materials are described as being useful in coatings, paints and inks, as well as emulsifiers for water-in-oil and oil-in-water systems, such as hair care formulations. Although these materials are mentioned as being practical for many applications, these were not shown to have utility as adjuvants for agrochemical applications.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,001,140 and in copending application Ser. No. 09/211,909, siloxane polymers having polyhydric groups, such as hydrosilation products of trimethylpropane monoallyl ether, ethoxylated pentaerythritol allyl ether, propoxylated pentaerythritol allyl ether, tri-isopropanolamine allyl ether, ethoxylated allyl sorbitol, 1,3-allyloxypropanediol and 2-butyne-1,4-diol are described as useful diesel fuel additives.